Regrets
by nightflame
Summary: Set in the aftermath of The Crossroads of Destiny, four characters ponder the decisions that had been made up to that point. [implied ZukoxKatara]


**Regrets**  
an Avatar: the Last Airbender ficlet  
implied ZukoxKatara

* * *

He watched as she traveled up the waterfall, the fallen Avatar in her arms. He could see the look in her eyes, as she watched him. Not his sister, just him. 

She didn't understand. She didn't know what he had been through. He was doing what he had to.

But then that same look was mirrored in his Uncle's eyes. His chest hurt at the memory of it.

He didn't expect his Uncle to be proud of his choice. But he expected him to understand. But who was she? She was just a companion to the Avatar. They spoke only for a short period of time, when he was thrown into that cave with her.

He didn't expect her disappointment to hurt so much. Why? Why did that look pain him as much as his Uncle's? Neither of them seemed to understand.

He restored his honor. But it didn't explain the heaviness in his chest.

-------------------

"You don't understand, Uncle" he explained to the silent man. "I did what I had to, to restore my honor."

Iroh said nothing and continued to stare at the wall.

"I cannot betray my people, my heritage, who I am" Zuko continued, heedless. "I will put an end to this war. But how could I do that? How would I be able to enter the Fire Nation again, without my honor? I had to do this, Uncle." He stopped. Still, Iroh would not look at him. Zuko felt his heart grow heavy. He honestly thought his uncle would understand, once explained. He turned to leave when Iroh's gravelly voice stopped him.

"Honor is not something given out like a medal. Honor is something found within."

Zuko turned to look at his uncle, who still refused to look his way. "Uncle…" When Iroh didn't move, Zuko turned and walked out the holding cell.

"Zuko, you fool" Iroh muttered softly. "Did I not teach you anything? Nothing was restored. You always had your own honor. You just refused to accept it."

-------------------

He didn't want to let her go. And even Iroh, the infamous Dragon of the West, told him it was better to seek happiness over power. But at the same time, he wondered.

When they had finally broken through, all he noticed was Katara…and her hand on Zuko's cheek. As happy as he was to see her, there was bitterness. He had been tunneling his way down so many miles of earth, to save her! He left training to save her! And there she was with Zuko. He couldn't stop himself from glaring at the scarred prince.

Now, as he looked back on it, he wondered if that he hadn't contributed to Zuko choosing to aid Azula. He doubted that his glaring at Zuko would have helped convince the Fire Prince to join their side.

But what bothered him the most was the look on both their faces before they realized that he and Iroh where there. It was only a second, but he caught it. That was the first time he ever saw the firebender look so at peace. He had never seen Katara look at someone the way she looked at the fire prince.

He thought back to his old lessons. While Air and Water were similar, and could flow together, Water and Fire were opposites. They could not flow together, but they needed each other to exist. Water and Fire tempered each other in a way that Water and Air could not.

Aang sighed. He loved Katara. But as long as he held onto her, he couldn't enter the Avatar State. As long as he put her first, he would be unable to save the rest of the world.

Maybe it was time to learn how to let go of all that kept him safe.

-------------------

Regret. It was something she should feel. She expected it. But frustratingly enough, she didn't.

As much as she wanted to regret offering to heal the Fire Prince's scar, she didn't. '_If I had_,' she reasoned to herself, '_I wouldn't have had anything to heal Aang with._' Surely, that thought alone should cause her guilt, something, for having shown a weakness toward Zuko. But she didn't.

She remembered the heaviness in his voice when he told her "It's a scar" and dismissed the possibility of it being healed. But she believed in her healing abilities. When Aang had burned her, she had been able to heal her hands. Wasn't that like healing a scar? But then the realization hit her.

"I can heal scars," she whispered to herself, "but that's not the part of him I wanted to heal"

No, when she heard that heaviness in his voice, she immediately understood. He had paid a high price for that scar. She didn't know what, but when she offered to heal the scar, it wasn't the one on his face that she wanted to heal.

She wanted to heal the scar on his heart.

* * *

Author's note yes, it is an incredibly cheesy ending. Ah well. Did the season2 finale pain anyone else as it did me? Oh the tease with the Zutara moment…sigh! I still think they'll end up together though. Or at least, they belong together. Anyway, please review! Thanks for reading. 


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